Trivia

Once helped to avert a potentially disasterous situation simply by being in the right place at the right time. In the early 1970s, a plane on which Funt was a passenger was hijacked to Cuba. The passengers, having seen Funt board the plane, assumed that it was all an elaborate "Candid Camera" gag, thoroughly confounding the hijackers by laughing at and, in one case, applauding their actions. After the incident, in which no one was hurt, the FAA offered to give Funt a citation for bravery. Funt turned it down, claiming that he was just a passenger like anyone else, and more nervous than anyone else because he knew the situation WASN'T a joke.

Invented hidden camera style comedy programming.

In fall 2005, his show's franchise, Candid Camera, now hosted by his son, Peter Funt, actress Suzanne Somers, and Dina Eastwood, will be aired and distributed under Tribune Entertainment Company's roster.

Father of Peter Funt

Father, with Marilyn Funt of actress Juliet Funt and Bill Funt.

Suffered a stroke in 1993; never fully recovered.

He graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Fine Arts. In later life, he amassed a collection of works by the Victorian painter Lawrence Alma-Tadema, but was forced to sell them just before the painter's reputation revived and the prices of the paintings shot up.

Allen Funt joined ASCAP in 1961, and his popular-song compositions include "Too Many Samples"; "Hot-Tempered Girl From Texas"; "Lost in the Lost and Found"; "Round Trip to Nowhere"; "No Substitutions Please"; and "Recipe for a Disgusting Cake".

Ex-brother-in-law of Elaine Laron.

His ashes were given to his son, Peter.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 221-222. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.